University of Memphis basketball coach John Calipari will receive one-million dollars annually from new, five-year contract.

May 18, 2001

University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson announced Friday that he and basketball coach John Calipari have agreed to a new five-year contract.

Calipari's contract calls for the second-year coach to be paid a salary of $1,000,000 per year. If he remains at the U of M for all five years of the contract, Calipari will receive an additional $1,000,000 cash bonus.

Under Calipari's new contract structure he will receive $139,050 as a base salary. The remainder of his salary covers three areas -- apparel contract, radio and television appearances and public relations.

"I am very pleased that we have reached a contract agreement with John (Calipari)," said Johnson. "He is very deserving and we feel the figure is competitive in the marketplace today. I am very proud of what John has accomplished both on and off the court."

In Calipari's inaugural season at the U of M, Memphis exceeded expectations. The Tigers won 20-plus games for the first time in five seasons, posting a 21-15 record. The U of M advanced to the Conference USA Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1996 and capped off the year with a third-place finish at the TiVo NIT.

For the first time since becoming a charter member of Conference USA, Memphis swept four, two-game series against National Division opponents. In Calipari's first season, the U of M also broke both the season total (290,864) and season average (17,110) records for paid attendance in The Pyramid.

"John has brought the program and the University an enormous amount of visibility both locally and nationally and I believe that he has the basketball program headed in the right direction," Johnson said. "The monies for John's contract extension come from private donations and not from state funds designated for the University of Memphis.

"I would like to personally thank those supporters who stepped forward with their money and helped bring this contract matter to closure. It is obvious that they are excited with John and the program and want to see Tiger basketball return to a lofty national status."

Calipari's endeavors in the community and on the University of Memphis campus rivaled the strides the Tigers made on the court during the coach's first season. One of his biggest philanthropic efforts has been aimed at college libraries. Calipari has donated or raised monies in excess of $100,000 for the U of M with a large portion of that amount earmarked toward the Ned R. McWherter Library on campus.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank R.C. and the alumni and supporters who helped make this happen for me and my family," Calipari said. "I can tell you my family is very happy here in Memphis and we look forward to a long association with the University."

In nine seasons as a collegiate coach, Calipari's record stands at 214-86 (.713). His record in March is even more impressive as he owns a 43-16 (.728) record when victories count the most.